Improved school-desk



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

IVILLIAM S. WGO'ION, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

IMPRovED SCHOOL-DESK.

Specification formingkpart of Letters Patent No. 83,896, dated November l0, 1868.

To all whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM S. WOOTON, of Richmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in School-Desks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to fully understand and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is an end elevation of my improved desk, and Fig. 2 a front elevation of the same.

The object of my invention is to so construct a combined school desk and seat that the same may-be folded up into a very small compass, for convenience in cleansing the school-room and for adapting the latter as a hall in which gymnastic exercises maybe practiced, and also to facilitate the transportation of the desks from place to place.

To this end my invention' consists in separately pivoting the desk proper and the seat, which parts are joined together by a hingeconnection to standards, in such a manner that the seat and desk may be folded together, the upper angle of the desk occupying the angle of the seat, and both made to assume an upright position, almost entirely out of the way.

My invention further consists in the general construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully in detail with reference to the accompanyin g drawings, in which similar letters in the several figures indicate like parts, and in which- A A represent the cast-iron standards which support the desk B and seat C. On the inner face of each standard A two lugs, a a, are formed, which are provided with dovetailed recesses, adapted to receive the similarlyshaped extremities of a castriron brace, D, as represented in dotted lines, Fig. 2.

' The standards A'are shaped substantially as shown in Fig. 1, so as to form a broad and secure base for the support of the desk and seat. The upper portions of the standards are curved from the fork b upward, as shown, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

The desk B is provided with end pieces c c,

of metal, which are formed with lian ges d e f,

through which screws-pass to secure said end pieces to the top, back, and bottom portions, respectively, of the desk, which are made of wood. Each end piece cis provided with a projecting pin, g. These pins enter holes provided for their reception in the inner faces got' the standards A, near the upper ends of the latter. The desk B, thus suspended between the standardsA, may be made to assume arf upright position.

The seat G isalso provided with end pieces h, of metal, secured in thev same manner das 'the ends c of the desk. Said end-pieces'h are cast with extensions 13 at right angles, or negrly so, to. the portion hp A pin," l, is formed .bn

orxedfin eachextension' z" of the end pieces `h, attached to-seat C. These pins enter'holcs formed in the inner faces of standards A, and

`constitute the points of suspension of the seat C and the pivots, so to speak, on which said seat turns.

jj represent links, one at each-end of the desk, pivoted at their upper ends to lugs or f ears Kformed at the lower side of the rear end of each piece c, the lower extremities of said links being, in like manner, connected to the upper portions of the extensions i of the end pieces h affixed to scat G. E is a narrow wooden piece secured at each end to the extensions 'i of pieces h, and forming a partial back for the seat C.

When it is desirable that the desks and seats shall occupy the least possible space for such purposes as above mentioned, it is only necessary to raise the seat G, when the desk and seat will at once be folded together and assume the position indicated in Fig. l, the upper angle of the desk occupying the angle of the seat.

By reference to Fig. lit will be seen that the desk B and seat O occupy such a relative position and areso connected as tiform for each other a mutual support. They are prevented from turning too far upon their pivots by means of their peculiar connection with .each other. Thus, (the parts occupying the position shown in black,) should the seat C fall but a short distance, the strain comes al# most immediately upon the points of suspension of the desk, and, as a consequence, the movement of the seat is at once checked. On

the same principle, the desk B can be turned down but a short distance from its position when in use, as the line of strain in this instance falls between the pivots at 7s k and the nnyielding points l.

To prepare the combined desk and seat for transportation, the standards, if secured to the floor, are loosened, the desk and seat removed together, and the brace lifted out of the dovetailed recesses. The desk and seat are then folded, when the several parts may be either packed together or shipped separately, as may he deemed preferable. y

Among the advantages of my invention, which are many, and obvious to those acquainted with school-furniture as hitherto constructed, the following may be noted, viz: In many school-rooms, for want of. other apartments, it is desirable to practice gymnastic exercises regularly and frequently. With the ordinary construction and arrangement of desks and seats, the satisfactory practice of such beneficial exercises is rendered difficult and unpleasant, if not impossible, as the main aisles or passages constitute the only open spaces. By the use of my improvements the desks and seats may be so adjusted as to be almost entirely out of the way of those engaging in the exercises, wide and continuous passages bein g formed between every two rows of desks. Thisabundance of room also greatly facilitates and renders satisfactory the labor of sweeping and cleaning the floor. By the use of the peculiar connection between the seat and desk`='^'the saine are rendered mutually supporting without the employment of separate devices for the purpose. The seat and desk, standards and brace, being each readily detachable from the other, their transportation is made easy, and the operation of putting them together in the schoolroom but the work ot' a few moments.

Having thus described my invention, I do not wish to claim, broadly, a combined school desk and seat; neither do I desire a broad claim for a folding seat, as I am aware that these are not new; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A combined school desk and seat when the seat and desk are made to turn on separate pivots, and are so connected together that, by raising the seat, the upper angle ot' the desk is made to fold into the angle of the seat, in the manner and for the purposes substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination of desk B, seat G, and

the devices connecting them together, with the standards A and brace D, when said parts are constructed and arranged to operate in the manner substantially as herein set forth and shown. To the above I have signed my name this 29th day of August, 1868. v P WM. S. WOOTON. Witnesses:

H. OGBORN, JosEPH DoAN. 

